French Creek
by jewlzkrysti
Summary: An original story... about twins who have heartache and learn to heal.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

At two thirty pm on Friday afternoon, June 12th, one petite blonde girl stood silently at a dull brown locker while the rest of the hallway buzzed of people in all shapes and sizes who swarmed fanatically around her. June 12th was the last day of Hartford Spring Regional's school year and also this blonde's last day of 11th grade.

While in the middle of taking notebooks and folders from inside the dull brown locker and stuffing them inside a backpack, an identical version with just slightly darker hair ran towards her. Quickly, the newcomer grabbed a worn in baseball glove and a just as worn in dirty white Red Sock's baseball cap from the next locker over.

"Hey Erica!" a popular guy from the high school's varsity baseball team addressed the brunette as he ran up to the identical girls at their lockers. "Last pick-up game of the year starts in ten minutes." He slapped a hand down on Erica's shoulder then half smiled with a nod 'hey' to her sister who blushed and opened her mouth to say 'hi' but no sound came out.

"Smooth," Erica noted after the jock disappeared down the busy hallway.

"You know Dad's having an end of the school year barbeque for us tonight," the still blushing girl pointed out to her sister, changing the subject.

"Chill, Linds. I'll be home by like six thirty at the latest."

Erica slammed her locker shut after clearing out the remains of her junior year at Hartford Spring Regional and dropped the overstuffed book bag at her sister's feet. "Take this home for me."

Lindsey frowned and readied herself to kindly protest but was interrupted.

"Yo Lindsey," it was Adam, another popular guy from their class. He was best known for being the farthest throwing quarterback that HSR has ever seen. She had been his tutor for most of the second semester and while spending most afternoons after school together analyzing quadratic equations, Lindsey had developed a small crush on the dreamy football player but was too shy to let him know.

Adam did figure that out for the most part and thought she was cute so he hadn't given much more thought before asking her to date him. Unfortunately for him, she did say yes but wasn't comfortable enough to kiss him, and so he was left high and dry and after a month of trying, he was about ready to give up.

"Hi Adam," Lindsey had finally finished emptying the contents of her locker. After shutting the door she turned to him. "How are you?"

Erica was already rolling her eyes.

"So listen, Linds. I was thinking about the summer… and about us."

Her eyes bugged out slightly. Erica listened intently.

"I was thinking that because it will be summer and we will be able to have a lot of alone time together, we should start hooking up."

Lindsey frowned then.

"I don't think I am comfortable with that just yet. Aren't there other things we can do to spend time together?"

Erica had already figured out where this was going.

"Yeah I guess," He started warily then added, "but then I was also thinking that we could still hang out and do those things but then I could hook up with other girls. You know, since you won't." Erica's eyebrows rose sky high as she crossed her arms and opened her mouth to speak but then looked over at her sister.

Lindsey stared blankly, tears forming in her eyes. Yet she did not want to allow Adam to see them. Not able to say a word, she just stood there.

"Well, yeah. I mean Amber said she'd hook up since you won't."

Just then the most popular girl in school (although Erica insisted that her popularity was based on her tendency to shed her clothes with every guy in school) had come up to the three and put her arm around Adam's shoulder.

"Don't you understand, Lindsey, that when you go out with a boy it's expected of you to fulfill his needs?"

"Don't be a bitch, Amber," Erica stepped forward closer to them. "Just because you're a raging slut doesn't mean you have to make my sister feel bad for being respectable and responsible."

"It's not my fault your sister's a prude," she fought back.

"You need to walk away before my fist meets your face," Erica stepped forward even closer, causing Amber to back away and Adam to get in between them.

"Miss Longton, do we have a problem?" the vice principal, who was always keeping an eye out on Erica, the girl best known for causing trouble along with her killer slide to home base, was walking by at that moment.

"No Ms. Crass. We're fine," she smiled with gritted teeth.

"It's your call, Lindsey," Adam said after the tall, lanky woman had walked away. Then he started backwards towards the school exit.

She couldn't get a word out so he grabbed Amber's hand and left the brick building.

"You should have told him to go to hell," Erica said before kicking her book bag. "Make sure to bring that home. I'm sure I just missed the first three innings of the game," she added before running outside.

Lindsey couldn't help but cry on her way home from school. She'd managed to carry both overstuffed book bags the five blocks to the house she lived at with her sister, mom, dad, and grandfather while thoughts of her life choices ran through her head. _Am I really a prude? Why can't I just tell him how I feel and why can't he just understand it and like me for me? Why does it all have to be about hooking up? _She knew she couldn't answer these questions herself but she knew of someone who could help her.

Seventeen Orchard Lane in Springtown of Hartford, Connecticut was home to a very close-nit family of five. Two of those were born to a mother, Lynne, whose native country was England and a father, Mark, who became a preacher of the Christian faith. These two were also born as identical twins, though not much about them is very similar at all.

Lindsey, the first born is also the taller of the two but only by a few inches and has long blonde silky hair. Though she does not put the extreme amount of effort into her school work, she always succeeds with straight A's and she is least like her sister when it comes to the way she handles situations, especially involving the opposite sex. These things could be blamed on the generational gap between Lindsey and her best friend, who is also her mother. Or she could just be naturally shy.

Erica, born younger is unlike her sister in many ways. She is not shy like Lindsey and very dominant. For a short girl at 5'2" she has a very loud mouth. Two physical traits that make her easy to tell apart from her sister are that she has short light brown hair and is very athletic. And her best friend is her 66 year old grandfather.

Richard, a retired fishing boat captain whose wife and mother of Rev. Mark had passed away a few years back, enjoys being humored by his 16 year old granddaughter and is the fifth member of the Longton household.

At seven thirty pm on that same Friday night, Mark Longton, with his daughter Erica, and his father Richard, gathered on the backyard deck of their Hartford, Connecticut five bedroom suburban split-level. Outside Mark flipped burgers on his new favorite stainless steel grill, while inside his wife Lynne and other daughter Lindsey were in a deep, emotional conversation.

"Honey I know that this was your first relationship, but you can't lower your standards just to make a boy happy. Just because in this day and age, kids are becoming much more intimate at a much younger age, you have to be happy yourself first and you shouldn't be with a boy who will disrespect your morals." Lynne Longton, a seamstress with her own design company, gave her daughter some mature words of advice after taking a needle from between her lips and began threading the seam of a dress which hung on a plush mannequin. She spoke with the ever fading English accent she had been born with in London, where she grew up and then fell in love with a traveling minister of a Presbyterian Church who had been there to study for his master's abroad.

"I didn't even know what to say," Lindsey Lynne, whose middle name came from her mother, shifted on the sewing room's day bed, uncrossed and re-crossed her legs and frowned.

"Well, I really hope you let go of the ill-mannered jerk."

"Well, I was really just dumb-founded by the whole situation. I basically just stood there while Erica kind of told them off."

"Hmmm," Lynne thought of how she had raised such a shy and quiet girl incapable of standing up for herself while her other daughter seemed to be able to take hold of any situation and come out of it strong. "So tell me, Miss Lindsey… was it you who received the Grade 11 Academic Achievement Award for the highest GPA in your class?" she asked, changing the subject.

At that moment, Lynne finished the seam of the floral print dress and began rummaging through a plastic tub of fabric for a piece to make a shawl.

Lindsey was now staring out at the window… a few gray clouds had drifted above, over-casting the sky. "It's no big deal, Mom. They just gave me this piece of paper with the Principal's signature on it." She shrugged.

"No big deal?" Lynne raised one eyebrow and frowned at her daughter. "If you manage to do it again next year, you'll be Valedictorian, Sweetheart. That's an amazing accomplishment."

"Well, we'll see," Lindsey smiled, looking around the room. Familiar flowered wallpaper covered the walls; the carpet was a sort of carnation pink, and an orange light had crept through the window from between the clouds, showing the setting sun. "So... any good news about the business?"

"Very good news, actually. A fashion magazine editor is coming to the wedding tomorrow to review the dress I designed for Aysia Maureen. If he is impressed, the dress may go on the cover."

"That's awesome, Mom." Lindsey took an elastic band from her wrist and tied her long golden blond hair up into a messy bun. Lynne stood up, draping a deep purple fabric over the shoulders of the mannequin and looked at her daughter. Lindsey's deeply bronzed shoulders were peeling slightly, her sleeveless low cut shirt showed a small bit of cleavage, and her denim shorts were short enough so that her butt cheeks peaked out from the bottom a little.

"I cannot believe you girls will be seventeen in two months. I'm getting too old."

"You're not getting too old, Mom."

"What do you think is taking them so effing long?" Erica complained, removing white ear plugs attached to a silver mp3 player from her eyes and putting her feet up on the glass patio table where her and her grandfather were sitting.

"Erica Brielle." Mark warned a girl with the same small shoulders, small hips, sun soaked skin… but who also bared more arm and leg muscle, as being the more athletic sister. "What did I tell you about cursing?"

"I wasn't cursing."

"Close enough though," Richard Longton agreed with his son, then patted Erica's legs to indicate he wanted them off table.

Erica put her feet down on the deck and crossed her arms. "Are you guys coming down or what?!" She screamed up to the second floor window.

Inside the sewing room, Lindsey and Lynne listened as Mark stated the burgers would be ready when they came outside.

"I don't think they understand that I need my time alone with you." Lindsey rolled her eyes. "You're my best friend."

"Yes, well I am getting a little hungry. Why don't we talk more about this later?"

"OK," Lindsey shrugged, hopped off the day bed and made her way down the stairs. Lynne followed, but was interrupted at the back door by the phone.

"That could be important. If Pastor Montgomery's wife gives birth between now and Sunday I'll have to do the sermon this week and I haven't even begun to think of something to say." Mark made a comment.

Lindsey sat down next to Erica at the patio table, while Lynne walked back across the kitchen to where the cordless phone was plugged into the wall. She answered it and brought it out onto the patio.

"It's about time. What were you doing, painting each other's toenails?" Erica smirked. Richard heard this comment and sniggered almost silently but Erica caught it. She laughed harder.

Erica never understood why Lindsey thought she had to tell their mother everything. Sure she's supposed to protect them from the dangers of adolescent social drama but she was their mother and there are just some things you don't tell your mom.

Then again, Erica found that through everyone she knew her Grandfather was the only one that understood her completely and was her best friend.

"I told her what happened with Adam."

"That ass, you should have punched him in the face. Or I could have done it for you at least."

"Erica," Richard mumbled under his breath, as though to warn her of the volume of her voice. It would be something else for her minister father to hear about her physically fighting her peers in school.

"Now are you sure this can't wait until morning? I will be at the church first thing tomorrow, waiting for the photographer to arrive. I will bring my sewing kit and fix that string of sequins as soon as I get there." The twins looked over at their mother, who was standing by the grill, talking sternly into the phone. "I see… must be done tonight… no that's fine. This is your wedding and you want everything to be perfect, nothing done last minute. I should be there in fifteen minutes."

The sun had completely set now and thunder started to roll quietly in the distance.

"So much for a nice family dinner, not successful without the entire family," Mark frowned, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"I shouldn't be too long. Aysia accidentally ripped off one string of sequins from the bodice of her dress and wants it fixed before she goes to sleep or she'll have nightmares about her wedding being completely ruined." Lynne looked over at the girls. A disappointed look appeared on Lindsey's face. "We'll talk more about the Adam incident when I get home."

With that, Lynne went back into the house and left through the front door. As she started the ignition of her two year old Ford Explorer SUV, rain began to drizzle down and she had to turn on her windshield wipers.

In the back yard, Erica, Lindsey, Mark and Richard hurried to get all of their BBQ dinner back into the house.

At a quarter to ten, Lindsey checked her watch and wondered where her mother could be. How long could it take to fix a string of sequins on a dress covered in them? Aysia Maureen only lived three neighborhoods away and the drive should have only taken fifteen minutes there and back.

At the same time Lindsey sat back in a chair in front of her bedroom desk, Lynne was on her way back to the five-bedroom suburban she shared with her loyal husband, her two beautiful twin daughters, and her witty father-in-law when the rain began to downpour. Even at full speed, the windshield wipers weren't that helpful with seeing the road. Lynne decreased the speed of the vehicle, hoping that she'd be able to have better control on the road.

But there was something wrong that night. At 9:49 pm on Friday, June 12th a 4x4 open bed truck moving at full speed, saw a deer running onto the road side oncoming to Lynne. The truck hit the brakes, but slid and side-swiped Lynne's SUV into a ditch on the side of the road. Another SUV came from behind Lynne's Explorer. Just missing the stalled 4x4, the SUV slid and hit Lynne from behind… the airbag blew open and Lynne was crushed. Unable to breathe, everything in Lynne's world was being taken away from her. With both of the other vehicles' drivers unconscious… there was no one to call the ambulance… and Lynne suffocated.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lindsey woke up suddenly; sweat drenched her skin, pillow case, and bed sheets. She sat up and pushed the pink comforter down to her hips. She looked at the alarm clock to her right, just turning eight am and beginning to play some song on the radio she remembered from dance camp a few years before. A week had past and the nightmares hadn't even begun to ease away. The funeral had been the day prior. Lindsey watched as her best friend's lifeless body was lowered into the ground. She had been standing next to her twin sister Erica and her Grandfather Richard, whose faces were both as tear-stained as hers. Her father gave a sermon-like speech and the memorial service was concluded with a lone trumpet playing the death march. As the family was very small (both of Lynne's parents past away in earlier years and neither side had much of distant relatives) the majority of people eating the selection of picnic foods and deserts and paying their respects at the Longton's after service were those of the church community who felt the Longtons were family.

While Mark, Erica, and Richard put on brave faces to shake hands with and thank those who came to help both mourn and celebrate the life of their beloved Lynne with them, Lindsey had kept to herself and scowled at anyone who tried to give their condolences.

Those empty days between the death and the funeral, Lindsey sat alone in her mother's sewing room, smelling the fabrics and crying over the deluxe professional sewing machine she had given Lynne with her sister on that most recent Christmas. She thought of all the after school afternoons when Lynne had been working and Lindsey had been there to tell her about school and they would discuss anything from books to boys to movies they wanted to see. And she thought about those movies they did see together and spend hours talking about. All the things that normal girls would do with their friends, Lindsey would do with her mother. And now she was gone.

While Lindsey panted from the newest nightmare, Erica was walking by the slightly ajar bedroom door and slowed to a stop when she saw her sister sweating in her bed through the opening.

"You ok?" she asked concerned.

"Just a dream about Mom."

Erica tried not to roll her eyes but Lindsey had been like this for over a week. It's one thing to be upset about losing your mom and crying when you feel you miss her presence, but constantly doing nothing but sleeping, barely eating, and sitting in an empty room all day staring at a wall was not going to help ease the pain. It was more like being reminded and making things worse. Not to mention those pathetic nightmares the girl was having. She hadn't even witnessed the accident. Why torture yourself by creating an image when you can go on just pretending there was no pain and suffering and the angels just came to fly her away?

Erica wanted to slap her sister across the face and tell her to get over it so everyone else in the house could get over it too, not to be reminded of it more than they already were but even Erica Brielle, the rough and tough tomboy who got over things faster than normal and having a rap sheet of being a hardass to keep up, couldn't even say it to her sensitive sister. It would only make things worse.

To keep things light, Erica slowly pushed through the door and said with a half-smile, "you've been having those nightmares again, sis? You know you should stop drinking so much caffeine before bed." She joked, leaning against the door frame of her sister's bedroom.

A single tear fell down Lindsey's cheek when Erica stood up straight and said, "Dad wants to get to the church early, has to meet Pastor Montgomery's temporary replacement."

"I don't want to go to church today."

Though Erica wanted to be sensitive, her patience was starting to break from her sister's attitude.

"Ya know what, sis?" Erica flung open the door as angrily as her mood could muster and walked with her arms crossed towards her sister's bed. "You've been moping over a week now. It sucks, but it's not like there's anything we can do about it. So get over it. I have. It's time for you to. Besides, you're wasting time being an effing hermit." Erica turned around to leave and stated loudly as she left, "only God Himself could get Dad to let you skip church so I suggest getting out of bed."

"But who is God, anyway? Isn't He supposed to protect us? Who gave Him permission to take Mom away from us?!" Lindsey grew steadily angrier.

Erica whipped around in the door way to glare at her sister once more. She was never the one to stay patient when someone wanted to argue with her. "Dad will say you can't stay home. So you might as well get dressed." Then she left the room.

Sunday was the one day a week Erica put on a skirt and heals. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable in such girly clothes; because she does tend to wear tight jeans and revealing tank tops more than once in a while, but she preferred sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Good morning Lindsey," Richard Longton came out through his downstairs bedroom door. Having lived on a fishing boat nine months out of a year for 50 some odd years, Richard preferred to sleep closer to the ground.

"Very funny Gramps, you do know you say that every single Sunday, or are you so old you forget every time?"

"At least you didn't inherit your Father's sense of humor, then. Is your sister ready? Your Dad seems to think if he does not get to the church before the new temporary pastor the whole steeple will come down. So he left about twenty minutes ago."

At the bottom of the stairs, Richard and Erica were already at the front door, but after ten minutes of waiting there still seemed to be nothing stirring upstairs.

"Did you actually witness her get out of bed?"

"She doesn't want to go to church… something about God being mean. You know I lost my Mom too. And Dad lost his wife. And you lost your daughter-in-law. But you don't see us not showering and blaming God."

"Well, it is natural when one looses someone very close to them they begin to lose their faith in God. Lynne was your mother, to you she was very heartwarming and protective like a mother should be. But to Lindsey, she was more like her very best and closest friend. Lindsey had a different kind of relationship with her mother, so much more than of unconditional love, but also of trust, stability, and understanding. Lindsey seems to be lost without her."

"But she still has to go, right?" Erica asked.

"Your father would be quite upset if she didn't."

"Lindsey! Are you ready?!"

At the top of the stairs, Lindsey held onto a small purse. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, unwashed for days, her skirt and shirt hardly matched, and she wasn't wearing make-up. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark circles appeared beneath them.

"You're an effing mess," Erica commented, as the three left the house.

Lindsey glared at her sister before hopping into the back of Richard's old Cadillac after her.

At the church, the usual crowds of the community's Christians were all taking their seats while an organ played lightly in the background. Erica, Lindsey, and Richard made their way up to their normal second row isle seats. Mark, who stood near the podium fixing a stack of note cards, saw them and nodded towards them.

After everyone had found seats, they were greeted by Reverend Mark Longton and the other church ministers and were asked to stand for a few hymns. The organ stopped playing and after a few passages spoken, Reverend Mark began is sermon.

Lindsey could not bear to stand what her father was saying any longer and something inside her made her do something completely inappropriate. She stood up.

"What does God know? He doesn't know pain and suffering. He's not even human for crying out loud. And why does He get to decide who stays and who goes? I mean there are over 80 million criminals in the world who rob and steal and they only have to spend probably 35 years in prison. _Some people_ don't even get convicted of the crimes they've committed. Then there are the good people like Lynn Longton who go to church every week, donate to the poor, help the handicap, and is her daughter's best friend, who God decides he doesn't want them to be on earth anymore so He just KILLS them and poof, we're supposed to be happy about that?!"

"Lindsey, I don't think it is a good idea for you to outburst like this, will you please sit down?" Mark tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Come on, Dad. You are just as mad at God as I am. Why put on a happy face? You know you want to scream at the world. Stop acting so fake."

"Lindsey…" her father warned once more.

Before Lindsey had even stood up, Erica and Richard had been taking a bet on how long before Lindsey would explode, but then Lindsey pushed it out of line.

"If you want me to happy about Mom, I'm not. Not enough flowers in the world or people telling me it's going to be OK will change the fact that I hate God. He's a liar. And I hate you for telling me that God protected us all this time. I hate this church and I hate God and I'm not coming back."

She turned around and began to walk out of the church. The people were stunned in their seats. ("That's the Reverend's daughter; I cannot believe she just spoke to her father like that…" "…In front of the entire church, can you believe that?")

"Lindsey Lynne Longton," it was Richard who braced himself as he stood up in his seat. He was outraged; Erica, who was enjoying Lindsey's hissy fit, now looked worried. She had never seen her Grandfather look so angry. Lindsey barely turned to look at him, still walking towards the door. "If you step out of this church you can guarantee you won't make it home before I break your legs so you can't walk out on your Father ever…" but before he could finish his sentence he grabbed his chest and doubled over.

"Dad?" Mark looked at him and rushed down the stage.

"Grandpa?" Erica grabbed onto Richard's shoulder as he fell to his knees. Mark hurried over to his side. "Dad, what's going on?"

Lindsey had stopped walking to the door, whipped around, and ran towards her family.

"Look at the hell you just did to him!" Erica screamed at her sister as Richard fell backwards and passed out.

The heart monitor beeped constant in Richard Longton's hospital room. He was in the critical care unit and had suffered a massive heart attack only 3 hours earlier.

Erica was the only one standing beside him as she had asked the others to give her some time alone. She held his hand in hers and cried softly.

"Hey Gramps," she laughed a little as she sniffed. "I know you don't like it when I call you that. Makes you sound like an old fart. But I think it's funny." Tears welled up in her eyes and she started to cry harder. "I hope you can hear me. I miss you so much. Dad says it might take some time for you to come back to me but I know you will. You know I need you. You're the only one who laughs at my jokes. Dad's sense of humor's dried up and well… it's Lindsey who I'm usually making fun of. But you know this. God, Grandpa. Can you please just wake up? You're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do if you…"

And then it happened. Flat line. The beeping on the monitoring machine turned into one long, high pitched sound and Erica looked at the screen beside the bed. Then it hit her.

"Somebody, help!" she screamed. "Somebody! His heart! HELP!" she screamed louder. Her father and Lindsey burst in through the door, followed by two nurses and a doctor. Erica was pushed aside as the doctor began shocks on Richard. There were two… with no pulse… two again. Still nothing. After a third time and nothing, it was all the doctors could do. They had lost him. Erica sobbed into her father's chest before turning to Lindsey.

"How dare you! This is all your fucking fault!"

Being a minister's daughter, Erica always tried to watch her language, mainly because Richard always warned her not to curse, but now that he was gone from her life she was just angry. If it wasn't for Lindsey's outburst at church, Richard would not have had the heart attack. He would be alive right now, eating Sunday night BBQ with the rest of them. But he wasn't. He was gone, out of her life forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Only a little more than a week had passed since his wife's passing before Mark Longton had to arrange another funeral. If he were a stronger man he would have been able to keep his head held high in the face of these tragedies, but with both of his daughters fighting with each other over the loss of their best friends and with the Lord for taking them away, prayer could not keep the man from crying.

Richard's funeral was infinitely more somber than Lynne's. Family friends had a difficult time in finding the right words to console and Lindsey and Erica did not help with encouragement.

At the church after the burial, when friends and distant relatives had gathered to lend their support, many people came up to the Reverend and the girls to wish them well and encourage their strength. Erica walked by while a neighbor asked Mark how he could possibly get over this. She would have been fine if Mark hadn't pretended he knew God would take care of it and make everything all right but she too now hated her father for lying about how he was feeling.She knew deep down he resented God for taking his wife and father away. She was also angry that while Lindsey was known for being sensitive, Erica was usually the tough one. She played sports and beat up the bad guys. How come one tiny reminder of her Grandfather broke her to tears?

After Mark had had enough of keeping himself together for the sake of his daughters, he retreated to a private library in the back of the church to break down. He'd been shedding tears for only five minutes when there was a knock on the door and man of the age of the late Richard Longton entered at his permission.

"Reverend Longton," the man with a head of pure white hair and a salt and pepper beard across his face shook the hand of the weeping Mark then reached in for a hug.

"I can't do this anymore!" Mark exclaimed, holding on to the man as if for dear life. "What should I do John?"

The man named John had been a good friend of Captain Richard Longton back in the days of catching lobster off the New England Coast. John only boarded the ship on vacations as he had always been a pastor at his own church in Pennsylvania. The men had met as kids at a place he came to discuss with Mark. And after their discussion, Mark had a new hope, the sign from God in the form of a man and a special place.

When the funeral commenced and the Longton's were back in their home, Mark forced his daughters to sit on the living room sofa. Sternly in front of them, Mark paced with his arms crossed. Erica now had the habit of plugging into an mp3 player so that she could drown out her loneliness. Mark stopped pacing in order to motion angrily at his daughter to take out her headphones.

"There is a matter here that we need to discuss."

"I don't think there is anything to discuss, Dad," Erica replied, leaning back on the sofa. She had a feeling there was a Sermon-like lecture coming on.

"You two must understand, as of now, you…" he pointed to Lindsey… "you…" he pointed to Erica… "and I are the family. Your mother and grandfather are up in heaven. They can still hear you and see you and I can guarantee they are not happy about the way you two have been acting. I know you two had extra special relationships with them and I understand that you are angry. But at the same time, you should be happy that they are now safe in heaven and no one can harm them."

"You don't even know they're in heaven Dad. What if it doesn't exist?!" Erica replied angrily.

Lindsey silently looked down at the hands folded in her lap. Since her outburst in church on the tragic day they lost Richard, Lindsey knew she'd said enough and left the arguing up to her sister.

"Erica, I am just as upset as you are. I've lost my wife and my father."

"So why fight it, Dad? You act like you're all peachy and OK with what happened. You are just as upset as we are. But you're a fake. You're a liar. You act like nothings wrong. Lindsey's right for once. And if God weren't lying, He'd be protecting us from pain and hurt. He would have protected Mom and Grandpa. They'd be alive."

"Things happen for a reason I cannot explain. But I know that God wanted them in heaven, and that is where they are. But if you cannot see and accept that then I am afraid I have no choice at what I have to do."

"And what is that?" Erica asked.

Mark pulled out two identical flyers and handed them to each girl. Erica read it out loud.

"French Creek Bible Conference, what the eff is that?!"

"It is a Christian Bible Camp," Mark answered. "In the mountains in Pennsylvania, you will be staying in cabins where there is no electricity… only three showers… and all day, every day for the rest of the summer, you will be learning and discussing Christ, our Lord. You will have two morning classes, an evening service, a private devotion, and a devotion with your cabin every day."

"Are you effing serious?!" Erica stood up. "You honestly think this is going to help us forget God killed our best friends?!"

She turned and headed for the stairs. Lindsey sat up and looked at her father cowardly. "Do we get to eat there?"

"Yes, they do feed you. Please go upstairs and read over all of the information. I will be driving you to PA first thing Monday morning. That flyer will tell you everything you need to pack. I'll help you get some flashlights and lanterns for your cabins and enough batteries and bathroom stuff to last you the next two months. There are trunks in the attic for your clothes."

"Yeah. Sure." Lindsey, whose tears began to flow, followed her sister upstairs. Mark sighed, went into his study, and shut the door.

The rest of the week at the Longton residence went by in silence. While Erica holed herself up in her music, Lindsey did an internet search on French Creek and found the email address of a girl her age that went annually. This girl, whose name was Katie, explained that it was actually pretty fun and laid back for the Senior High group. Classes were a drag but she also explained about the campfires on Sunday nights that was a sort of 'date' nights for couples at French Creek. And as dating is forbidden at French Creek, most teenagers rely on their free time at the pool and the darkness of the campfire fire to allow them to get closer to someone they like.

_So not only do I get to spend all of my waking time thinking about God but I get to worry about dating, too._ Lindsey sighed to herself.

Sunday night dinner after church was no longer a fun family BBQ. Tonight, Lindsey and Erica sat silently at the dining room table, trying desperately not to make a sound as they cut and chewed their grilled chicken.

Reverend Mark put down his fork and knife and folded his arms down on the table.

"Are you girls all packed?" They nodded, not looking up from their dinner plates. "Good, because we are leaving at 10am sharp."

"And just how long is it going to take us to get to Pennsylvania?" Erica asked, dropping the metal fork onto her ceramic plate.

"About four hours."

"You have got to be kidding," Erica stood up from the table and shoved white ear plugs into her ears. "May I be excused?" Not waiting for an answer she turned from the kitchen and stomped upstairs.

Mark sighed and looked at his other daughter who silently looked down at her plate.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Monday Day 1 Registration 2:00pm

_ I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless lost under the surface. Don't know what you're expecting of me. Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes. Every step that I take is another mistake to you. And every second I waste is more than I can take. I've become so numb._

– Linkin Park

The words of the heavy metal band Linkin Park blared once again through the white mp3 player earphones into Erica's ears as Mark's gray Land Rover SUV gained speed down the 95-South Interstate towards French Creek State Park in Elverson, PA. Erica leaned back in the front passenger side seat with her feet up on the dashboard. Lindsey, in the back seat by herself, tried her best to not hear her father sing along to Christian music coming through the vehicles radio.

Four hours into the drive, the SUV pulled onto a gravel driveway that wove around through trees about half a mile before picking up dust from the red dirt road that appeared. Mark parked on a grass lot behind a few other vehicles and stepped out of his own.

"Girls, this is it. French Creek State Park. My first days of being a true Christian happened at this very camp," he announced shutting the driver's side door.

Lindsey hopped out of the back seat behind her Dad. "Only you would find reading the Bible and singing hymns in the dirt and smothering humidity fun."

"Trust me, Linds. Two weeks from now you won't want to leave." He threw an arm around her shoulders, smile widening.

"I wouldn't count on it." She frowned.

"Wanna put money on that?" Erica squinted in the afternoon sun, using her hand as a visor as she looked at the building called the Messhall from the opposite side of the car.

In front of the building were a few trees shading a picnic table where a group of teenagers chatted rapidly, going over the details of their school years and a tall, tan guy with shaggy brown hair naturally highlighted by the sun and dangerously deep blue eyes silently watched the girls follow their excited father up the concrete steps, through the creaky battered screen door that was the front entrance of the Messhall. To the left of that entrance, three children stacked milk crates on a concrete patio, while their mothers, who doubled as the cooks of the camp, supervised from lawn chairs.

Inside were more chatty teenagers as well as a five-person band setting up instruments and sound stage equipment.

"Reverend Longton." A man who looked to be in his 60's with white hair and a salt and paper beard on his chin, sat at the first dining table to the left with papers scattered in front of him. He stood up, taking Mark's hand in his.

"John, please. How many times do I tell you to call me Mark?" The man smiled and pulled the elder in for another hug.

"Well, you were so proud of the title when you finally managed to get it; it was all you ever wanted to be called. Richard and I made terrible fun of you behind your back for it," John Porter smiled towards the twins but neither one of them looked amused and so he sighed. "Girls, it's nice to see you again."

"Again? I don't even know who you are," Erica shot daggers from her eyes, which went unnoticed by the aging man at the table.

"Erica, this is John Porter. He's the director of the camp. He was at your Grandfather's funeral. They met here at this camp when they were about ten years old. After high school they fished together off the boats in the summers. I've known this man my entire life and he was my mentor when I was in school with the ministry."

"So for the last sixteen years where have you been? You must not have been a good friend if in my whole life it takes you a funeral to show up." Erica stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She'd yet turned down the music, seeping quietly through her ear plugs.

"I'm actually his best friend, Erica. I was around when you were a child but my family lives in Pennsylvania so I've been there the last eight years. And by the way, before we go any further I have to remind you that music that is not associated with this camp is forbidden."

Before Erica could speak, she ripped the plugs from her ears and stashed them in her pocket hastily. "_I'm_ his best friend. I was in the hospital holding his hands while he died. _I've_ been there the last eight years of his life. You haven't!" Erica was yelling, campers and band members alike began staring.

"Erica... that is enough!" Mark grabbed his daughter's arm out of fury for her disrespect and outburst. "So let's get you girls registered huh?" Mark smiled, trying to change the mood.

"Yes, I see," John said and began shuffling through papers on the table in front of them. He found two piles, one with each of the twin's names on them and handed them to each girl. "Well, then. I couldn't manage to get the two of you in the same cabin since you registered so close to the conference dates so I'll be forced to split you up. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not like we ever do anything together anyway," Erica responded.

"Well, alright then. Let's see." He looked at another sheet of paper from the table. "Lindsey, I have you in cabin 1-2-5 with Mary, Annie, and Sarah and your counselor Heather is in cabin 1-2-4 with three other girls, and Erica in cabin 1-1-10 with Katie, Mandy, and Rochelle and your counselor Danielle is in cabin 1-1-3 with three other girls as well. I'm sure you'll meet your cabin mates up there."

"Excuse me, did you just say up there?" Erica interrupted and pointed up above her head, indicating the direction in question.

"Well, we are in the mountains," Mr. Porter smiled.

"We have to climb a mountain?" Lindsey asked quietly.

"It's not that bad," Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

After Mr. Porter shook hands once more with the Reverend, Mark took them back to the SUV and drove them to their cabins.

Cabin 1-1-10, identical to every other four-person cabin, was small with a stone step leading up to a front porch with a bench on each side. The screen door screeched open. Inside the cabin were four tiny closets, one in each corner, and four beds... two along each side wall. Open windows bordered the cabin, their screens hung above the beds, latched to rafters, and could be swing shut at night to keep out the evenings chill. The three girls already inside of Erica's cabin, halted unpacking to take in the newcomers.

"I'm Katie," a tall, slightly chubby girl with snow white skin and black frizzy, shoulder length hair introduced herself from the bed in the back right corner to Mark, Lindsey, and Erica. Across from her was a petite girl, pretty with brown curly hair and was Mandy. An athletic built girl with strawberry blond hair and light freckles was Rochelle. "Our counselor Heather went to help some other counselors move beds around the units. Which one of you is staying with us?"

"Me… I'm guessing this empty bed is mine?" Erica questioned, throwing her bags on the bare mattress to the right of her while her father placed a large trunk on the floor beneath it.

Mark said his goodbyes to his youngest daughter and left her to unpack while he and Lindsey started their trip for her cabin. While she dressed her mattress with sheets and blankets, the other girls went on with their gossip.

"So Erica," Katie said ten minutes later. Erica stopped where she stood in her closet holding a tank top in one hand and the hanger she was going to put it on in the other. "You're new to French Creek. We all pretend we're here just to be close to God... but we all know that's not the only reason."

"So then why do you come here?" she paused. "You know, other than God?"

"Well, for the guys of course."

"I thought you couldn't date here."

"Just think of it this way," Katie stood up and paced the cabin. "How sweet would it be to land a guy from FCBC? They are only the most decent guys you'd ever be able to find. Plus Mommy and Daddy are so impressed."

"Well I didn't come here to meet a guy."

"Don't tell me you're one of those freaks who are all about memorizing Bible verses and are one hundred percent about God. I mean no offense or anything," she stated quickly. "Or are you putting this on your college transcripts?"

"No... I was forced to come here. I don't believe in God and think this camp is a waste of time."

The other two girls gasped. "But why?" Katie screeched.

"I have my reasons. Anyway, I'm peacin' out this bitch. I'm starving." Erica abandoned unpacking by throwing what she'd planned to hang in her closet back into her trunk and kicked the whole thing back under her bed. Then left the small wooden cabin, slamming the screen door behind her.

Even though there was still an hour before dinner, Erica trekked down the long gravel road toward the Messhall.

Cabin 1-2-5 was identical to 1-1-10, only it was in the second unit of girls' cabins and was farther away from the main grounds. After Mark and his elder daughter unloaded the SUV and he left with the car to drive back down the main road towards the Messhall to say his goodbyes to John Porter, Lindsey had been hanging clothes in her own closet when three other girls who had already unpacked hours ago came traipsing back into the cabin.

"You're new," a short girl with massively curly red hair stated the obvious before plopping down on her bed. "I'm Mary. That's Annie and Sarah," she pointed to the tall girl with short jet black hair and an average height girl with soft brown shoulder length hair.

"I'm Lindsey."

"Well, Lindsey, glad you could be here. Do you think you'll be signing up for the talent show?"

"There's a talent show?" Lindsey responded. _Who knew_? Not that she had any talent besides studying non-stop and getting straight A's. Her ballet career had ended around the 5th grade when she realized she'd discovered she'd had no grace to speak of.

"Well, of course there is. The winner will receive extra points for their clan. I'm doing a monologue that will interpret a bible verse into a modern day problem we have and my thoughts to solve it."

The other girls in the cabin looked smug but Lindsey stood in confusion. "I thought talents were dancing and singing and stuff?"

"It's an_ acting _monologue."

"Oh that's nice. Although I'd expect this place was too saintly for competition."

"Its purpose is to give us confidence to fight for what we believe in. Anyway… we are also going to start memorizing our memory verses tonight after cabin devotions. Everyone thinks that if you win all of the activities your clan will win but we know it's really the Bible verses that get you the most points. Some people are just so lazy they don't even bother. It's rather annoying."

"So I take it you three are really into the Bible and God stuff?" Lindsey questioned, finally shoving her trunk under her bed and grabbing her shoulder bag. "I don't believe in God." Mary's mouth dropped and the other two's eyes widened as Lindsey left for the Messhall.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Monday Day 1 before dinner 5:30pm

Paul Donnoll, participating in his 8th summer at French Creek Bible Conference, was still perched on top of the shaded picnic table in front of the Messhall, only this time a girl with long dark ringlets and deep tanning bed skin sat beside him.

"My father mentioned you'd be staying in the back of the canteen all by yourself. You know if you get lonely, I could come and keep you company." She placed her fingers on his shoulder lightly. He raised his eyebrows, looking down at her hand. At 18 years old, Paul had just graduated to being too old to go to the conference as a camper. When he joined up to be on the kitchen staff, because there had been no cabin in the guy's units to put him, he was assigned to sleeping in the back part of the canteen cabin where in the front part, the kitchen staffers sold sodas and candy to campers twice a day.

"Now wouldn't you think your Dad would definitely not approve of that, given no girls are permitted into a guy cabin, and also that your Dad is the _Dean_, Esther."

"Oh don't be such a saint, who said my Dad had to know?" she winked at him.

"Your Dad knows everything." He frowned, taking her hand from his shoulder and placing it back down on the wooden picnic table.

"He doesn't know what I did with my last boyfriend," she leaned over and whispered some sexual act into Paul's ear which caused his jaw to drop and his eyes to widen.

Just when he was about to get up and leave the vulgar girl whose Dad was the Dean of Discipline at French Creek and had known him since he'd started coming to the camp when he was 10, he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of the same blond he had first seen just two hours earlier. She looked annoyed as she plowed her way into the Messhall through the front door and plopped down at the first table in the left corner of the large dining room where he could still see her through the window.

He was about to follow her inside when Mary Lawbuck, a short but loud and witty woman yelled at him from the entrance door to the kitchen to the left of the Messhall's front door.

"Paul Donnoll, get your skinny little butt in this kitchen and help us fix dinner."

He jumped off of the picnic table, leaving Esther in her seat, and hurried into the kitchen. At the sound of the kitchen supervisor's projected voice, Lindsey turned her head and watched through the window from inside at the corner table. When the boy named Paul disappeared into the kitchen, she looked around her inside the dining area where counselors began setting up the tables for dinner. She looked back down at the book she had opened in front of her.

_Mom,_

_I know you are dead so writing this is pointless. But just in case your spirit did make it somewhere I thought you should know, I am miserable without you. Why did you leave me? Now I don't have a best friend. Who will I go shopping with? To the movies with? Who will give me advice about boys and life? Who will help me pick out colleges? I can't do any of this without you._

"Excuse me, sweetie," a fair skinned blond leaned over the table towards Lindsey, who looked up and whipped a stray tear escaping her welting eye. "All the campers have to go outside while the councilors set up for dinner and wait to be called in by the Dean."

"OK," Lindsey sniffed, snapping her purple journal shut, and left the Messhall through a set of double doors that opened from the side of the building. On the porch that lined that side of the Messhall, her sister sat on a bench and stared out at a line of trees that separated the slope where at the bottom was a massive fire pit and a patch of grass known as the lower field.

"The girls in my cabin are obsessed with boys," Erica stated, not looking up at her sister.

"The girls in my cabin are obsessed with God."

"Whatever." Erica shrugged and stood up.

Monday Day 1 dinner 6:00pm

After the Dean had announced it was time for dinner and everyone filed into the Messhall and took their seats at the tables bunched in the front half of the room, the director of the conference, John Porter, made welcome announcements, the Dean of Discipline, Darwin Parks, made discipline announcements, the music director, Katherine Leary, led a short hymn, and then Mr. Porter said a prayer. This would become the Longton's routine before every meal for the rest of the summer.

As dinner was served, Lindsey noticed a boy walking through the kitchen's "exit" door in a full length white apron and passing out plastic spatulas to each table. It was the same boy she'd noticed earlier, getting yelled into the kitchen by a short woman who'd looked to be not one to argue with. She noticed he was tall, maybe 6 feet, with very tan skin, shaggy brown hair, and bright blue eyes.

He stopped and leaned against the water cooler near the "enter" door to the kitchen so his eyes could search for the girl he'd like to see again. She sat, silently picking at the meal in front of her at the first table in front of him, her back towards him. A girl, similar of face, sat next to her. Though they were clearly sisters, he'd noticed the second arriving with the first a few hours earlier, they did not speak to each other. They looked almost identical to him, except that one had darker, shorter hair and her body spoke of athletic abilities.

Lindsey, who had just picked up a greasy chicken wing for her plate, could feel someone staring onto her and when she looked up behind her, she caught deep blue eyes that quickly darted towards the side doors. As he slowly looked back at her, she quickly looked down at her plate. She leaned toward Erica and whispered as casually as she could, "I think that guy is staring at me."

"Yeah right. Who?" Erica sat up straight and looked around the room.

"By the water cooler," Lindsey answered.

Erica spun around but saw no one. Paul had gone back into the kitchen before Lindsey could catch him looking at her again.

"There's no one there," Erica pointed out. Lindsey turned again but saw to her slight disappointment the water cooler standing alone.

"Oh well, he was just there."

"Suurree," Erica said sarcastically and turned back to her dinner.

Forty five minutes after dinner was served, the tables were cleared, and desert was now in front of French Creek's newest residents, a tall blond named Aaron stood at his table and introduced himself as the activities director.

"I have split the counselors and their campers up into four clans. Each clan has a counselor from each unit. I've decided to make the theme pants so each clan will have a name that has something to do with pants. Tonight for clan activities, counselors with your campers, get together, get to know each other, and come up with a type of pants you will be. Tonight and tomorrow afternoon you will need to come up with a slogan and flag for your clan."

"What the hell do you do with the flags?" Erica whispered to Lindsey but another camper at the table heard her.

"They use them for capture the flag. The game is insane. Sometimes it takes so long we don't even have time to go to the pool." The camper stated excitedly.

"Oh goodie. Can't wait." Erica rolled her eyes.

"Oh and by the way, you shouldn't say hell unless you're talking about the damnation," the camper added before turning back in her seat and Erica mimicked her without sound, causing Lindsey to actually laugh. Erica caught her sister and smiled slightly.

After Aaron finished his speech, the Dean dismissed everyone and the clans separated from each other.

Erica and Lindsey's counselors had been teamed together, so while they and two counselors from the guys units gathered their campers at a table in the corner of the Messhall Lindsey joined them but Erica decided against it.

"This is ridiculous. I'm going to the bathroom," Erica left the Messhall, throwing white earplugs in her ears as she walked. Lindsey stayed where their clan, who became known as the 'Overalls', delegated the God-obsessed queen, Mary, and her followers to make the flag.

Monday Day 1 clan activities, evening service 7:45pm

Forty five minutes after clan activities started, a car horn sounded ending clan activities, and everyone filed back into the Messhall for evening service. Erica, who'd come back from the bathroom just when the car horn went off, took hold of Lindsey's hand and dragged her to two seats in the farthest back corner of the room.

"Must be you're lucky day," Erica muttered under her breath. "I can't believe there is no one normal here to hang out with; I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Gee thanks." Lindsey frowned taking her seat.

The five band members who'd set up the stage during registration were now tuning their instruments. Katherine Leary, their music director, stood at the microphone.

"Before Reverend Troxal starts his sermon, I want to start the evening service off right. Can I have everyone stand and we'll start off with a French Creek Favorite," Katherine said with enthusiasm and the crowd sitting amongst the chairs in the back section of the Messhall stood excitedly.

The band started playing a song that sounded vaguely like Louie Louie by Motorhead in Erica's opinion.

"Blessed be the lord our God of Israel to everlasting," the lyrics came across an overhead projector. Campers, counselors, and staff alike sang while clapping and even dancing to the beat. Everyone except two identical girls with identical frowns on their faces. Erica stood up on her chair, leaning against the two connecting walls of the Messhall with her arms crossed, witnessing what she'd call the beginning of the nightmare that will be her summer. She was also thinking how insane it was that everyone around her acted as if they were at a Linkin Park concert. Lindsey stood next to her sister on her own chair to get a better look at the people around her. _How can all these people sing a song about God, who takes away good people and leaves others lonely and alone?_ She thought and then...

Lindsey spied him at a glance. Paul wasn't standing and dancing like the rest of the crowd. As a staff member, he wasn't required to sit amongst them in the chairs directed towards the sound stage so he sat on a bench leaning back on one of the dining tables. With his elbows up on the table behind him, he rested his right ankle on his left knee and tapped his right foot along with the music.

"So that we may give thanks to Thy holy name, and glory in Thy praise. Alleluia! Blessed be the Lord our God of Israel." he sang along to the song without needed to stand and see the words on the projector screen.

Lindsey turned to Erica and tapped her shoulder.

"What?" she hissed.

"He's sitting over at that table," Lindsey pointed behind her towards the dining side of the Messhall.

"The one that was 'staring' at you?" Erica air quoted with her fingers and looked over. She spotted him also, though now he wasn't sitting alone. Esther Parks had come into the Messhall from the front door, late as she had been in the bathroom fixing something about her appearance she'd considered not up to par, and placed herself next to Paul on the bench.

New song lyrics had been placed on the projector and the band began a new tune.

"Shouldn't you be sitting in a chair like the rest of the campers, Esther?" Paul asked his uninvited guest, ignoring the song they were supposed to be singing.

"I can do whatever I want. My Dad is the Dean, as you know."

"All the more reason to behave yourself. You should set a good example."

"I don't see you sitting there."

"I'm not a camper. Though if it means that much to you-" he spotted Lindsey in the corner and an empty chair directly in front of her right next to the back door of the Messhall. "-I'll sit over there."

Lindsey watched Paul jump off the bench and leave the building via the front door. He ran around the side of the Messhall, entered through the back door, and slid into the only empty chair in front of Lindsey. Behind him, she froze and slid down into her own chair. When the song ended everyone else, including Erica sat down as well.

"What is wrong with you?" Erica accused.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Lindsey shot back.

Paul tried to look back over his shoulder without being obvious but instantly turned forward because Pastor Troxal began his sermon.

"Well, first I'd like to welcome everyone to French Creek Bible Conference Senior High Week 2007. I'm Reverend Craig Troxal; I will be your class two and evening service speaker this week. And as some of you already know, the theme of this week is Faith in the Lord. I'd like to open tonight with a verse from Hebrews 11.

"'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.' –Verse 1. 'And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.' –Verse 6."

"That's your stalker boy? He's not a very good stalker now, is he?" Erica whispered to her sister while the Pastor in front of them droned on something Erica wasn't in the mood to listen to.

"What?!" Lindsey leaned over.

"Well, don't stalkers usually sit _behind_ the person they are trying to stalk so they can stare at them without the other person knowing? I mean it's not like he's got eyes in the back of his head. He had a better view of you from the table. Or maybe... since he is so close to you now he can just _feel_ you." She laughed to herself.

"Stop it… please." Lindsey begged and Erica laughed loud enough for Paul to turn around and look back at them.

"Slick. Using our loudness as an excuse to turn around. I see how your mind works," Erica pointed out in a whisper again after Paul had turned his view back to the front.

"You're mean," Lindsey commented.

After the sermon ended, the Pastor led a group prayer and Aaron announced the clan point totals for the night. Since there had been no chores or activities which accounted for most of the points, the elder kitchen staff's children and grandchildren made judgment on the clan names and picked their favorites.

"Clan chores for tomorrow are as follows... the No-Sweat Pants will be on the grounds. Best Overalls have the washhouses. Holy Highwaters will be sweeping the Messhall. And Super Flares will have tables. That means the Super Flares must be to every meal twenty minutes early and the Highwaters, make sure you have everything you need for the afternoon including clan activities and the pool before lunch because you will not have time afterwards to go back to your cabins. And after Mr. Parks comes up here to talk to you about some rules, you are then dismissed for canteen."

Darwin Parks stood up at the mike. "Lights out at eleven, I will be coming around the units to check. That is all."

Monday Day 1 canteen, back to cabins 9:30pm

Everyone stood up and forced their way out of the Messhall through the front and side doors and moseyed socially towards the canteen cabin in the upper field.

The front of the canteen cabin had a huge window where two girls sat behind stacks of candy bars on the counter. Paul stood behind them, ready to grab sodas. Behind him were a fridge and then a wall separating them from his sleeping quarters.

When it was her turn to step forward up onto the cement block that allowed her to be level with the window, Lindsey asked for a Snickers bar and Pepsi but Paul was too busy grabbing the sodas being called by his co-workers to see her. When Lindsey moved to the side, Paul turned around as Erica came to stand at the window.

"Skittles and Root Beer please," she said but the girl inside sat motionless, tilting her head in confusion.

"Everyone's only allowed one candy and soda and you just got a Snickers bar."

Paul stopped to observe.

"Twin sister," Erica stated with a frown and crossed her arms.

"Right," the girl rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," Erica grabbed the sleeve of Lindsey's shirt and pulled her back in view of the window. "See?" she pointed to Lindsey who was unwrapped her candy, then looked up and made eye contact with blue eyes. Lindsey hurriedly looked at the girls sitting in front of Paul and then away.

"Oh ok, sorry," the girl apologized and handed Erica the candy.

"God, we don't even look remotely similar," Erica rolled her eyes as the girls clambered down the small hill back towards the Messhall.

"Lindsey," her cabin mate Mary said, walking up to the twins, followed closely by Annie and Sarah. "We're going up to the cabin early to get some extra time for devotions before lights out. You have to come with us so we can start building your faith back up."

Lindsey frowned towards her sister.

"Better you than me," Erica laughed and watched as her sister was dragged from the Messhall.

By the time Paul finished in the canteen and made his way back down to the Messhall the cute blond he'd been stalking all day and wanting to meet had left for her cabin. Her sister was still there, talking amongst some other campers but he decided not to go over to them and optioned for going back to the canteen alone to sleep.

"Alright girlies, I'm not going have a long devotion tonight because it's the first night and we're all still just getting settled," Heather, cabin 1-2-5's counselor said when the Unit 2 Overalls were gathered in Lindsey's cabin. "I want everyone to introduce themselves as tell us why they've come to French Creek this summer."

Around the cabin they went with their stories. Mary, Annie and Sarah had all been coming to French Creek since they were twelve and devote their whole lives around worshipping the Lord. The three girls from the other cabin were also long-time friends who did not live near-by each other and came to French Creek to spend the summer together. Then after explaining how her father had forced her to come here even though she fully intended on remaining hateful towards God and letting the shocked expressions of the girls she hadn't met yet die down, Heather let Lindsey and the other girls finish unpacking and get ready for bed.


End file.
